Door for dishwasher



Jan. 14, 1969 s. G. NORD DOOR FOR DISHWASHER I Of2 Sheet Filed Jan. 11,1967 Mun/70R Jan. 14, 1969 s. G. NORD 3,421,525

110011 FOR DISHWASHER Filed Jan. 11, .1967 Shet '2 of 2 INVENTUR SvenGustaf Nord United States Patent 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Adoor for dishwasher, where said door carries in its central part aspraying device with its spraying arms moving close to or adjacent theperimeter of the door and in its upper end bars to support dishware suchas glasses, cups, tableware or the like.

This invention refers to doors for dishwashers, and especially to thatkind of doors which in open position are swung outwards and downwardstowards the horizontal plane.

The main object of the instant invention is to provide a light but rigiddishwasher door and to make the door itself a substantial portion ofsaid dishwasher by constructing the door such, that it will support,i.a., a spray device and special devices or containers for dishware.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel dishwasher doorthat may be utilized for dishwashers having different shapes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a removable door fordishwashers and to enable the interior of the dishwasher to be utilizedalso for other primary purposes.

The invention also has as its object to enable simple attachment of adishwasher detergent container or dishwasher detergent on the dooritself.

An additional object of the invention is to eliminate a commonlyprovided check valve for the water supply when the dishwasher isdirectly connected to water under pressure.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a sprayingsystem comprising the above-mentioned spraying device for enablingspraying and effective cleansing of all dishware placed in thedishwasher.

Furthermore, the invention has the object of providing effectivecleansing of the dishware although utilizing a very small quantity offluid or water in comparison to conventional dishwashers.

Other objects and a better understanding of the instant invention willbe given by the following description and claims as well as by theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of a dishwasher casing with a closeddoor having the features of the invention,

FIGURE 2 shows a dishwasher door only in closed position,

FIGURE 3 shows the dishwasher door only in open position,

FIGURE 4 shows a horizontal view of the dishwasher door of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 5 shows an exploded view of the details of the spraying device,

FIGURE 6 shows a sectional view of the spraying device, and

FIGURE 7 shows a proposed mounting device for a removable dishwasherdoor.

With reference to the accompanying drawings the invention will beillustrated as an embodiment applied to a dishwasher casing designated 1and shown in a perspective view in FIGURE 1. The casing 1 is supportedof a base 3,421,525 Patented Jan. 14, 1969 and is provided with tubingIn for the water supply and tubing 1b for the water discharge. Thetubing 1a cooperates in appropriate manner with a part of a sprayingdevice, said part is surrounded by the casing 1 and will be describedmore in detail below. The tubing 1b is connected to the bottom of casing1 and discharges water collected in the casing 1. Tubing 112 should havea greater diameter than that of the tubing 1a. The casing is providedwith two horizontal surfaces 2, an upper one and a lower one, and threevertical surfaces 3. A door 4 on the front of the casing 1 cooperateswith the latter. The door 4 is provided with an upper flange 4a forrigidness. The flange 4a extends as a horizontal extension of the uppersurface 2 and is provided with a handle 5 for opening the door. Theflange 4a might also carry closure means for the door 4. The verticalsides of the door 4 are also provided with flanges 4b for rigidness,which gives the door 4 approximately the form. of a trough. This isappropriate not only so that dripping water may run towards the bottomof the interior of the casing but also for providing protection for thespraying device. The designation 40 refers to a broken edge at the lowerportion of the door 4 and will be shown more in detail with reference toFIGURE 7.

It should be noted that as a general rule, the larger or wider theflanges 4a, 4b of the door are made, the easier is the accessibility tothe interior of the dishwasher, and at the same time the spraying devicewill be given better protection. However, there is a practical optimumin this respect.

The dishwasher casing 1 may appropriately be adapted to support a numberof horizontal racks, preferably of plastic covered wire, intended forplates etc. The racks should be placed in such a manner, that a planeassociated with the plates forms a right angle or substantially a rightangle towards a plane associated with the door.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the dishwasher door in closed position with thedishwasher casing I removed. Thus, this figure illustrates the positionthat the dishware will take during the dishwashing. FIGURE 3 illustratesthe door in open position and shows the simplicity of the possibility ofplacing dishware on special racks, special containers or other meansattached to the door 4. The angle of inclination of the casing should ofcourse be so selected that water collected in the trough portion of thedoor runs back into the casing.

FIGURES 2 and 3 show that the flange 4a cooperates with a device forsupporting dishware. This device is designated 6 and consists of aplurality of parallel bars 6a which extend substantially parallel to theflat surface of the door 4. Adjacent the center of the door a specialtableware container 6b cooperates with the parallel bars 6a in such amanner that the tableware container forms a right angle (or possibly anangle of to the bars 6a. Tableware consisting of small forks, knives andspoons is primarily intended to be placed in said tableware container611. FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate a spoon 6b placed with the bowl of thespoon downwards.

Bars 6c extending at right angles to the bars 6a are provide-d forcarrying and supporting glasses 7 or cups turned upside down. Theseadditional bars 60 are mounted between the tableware container 6b andthe edge 4a of the door. In certain cases it may be appropriate to makethe bars, intended for cups, smaller than that of the corresponding bars60 for glasses. It is also proved appropriate to provide the upper endsof the bars 60 with a ball of elastic material, for instance of rubber,plastic or the like, for preventing the dishware from sliding. Thedevice 6 for supporting dishware may appropriately be positioned on thatportion of the door 4 that is the highest when the door is closed, andit may also be appropriate to let the device 6 extend over the totalwidth of the door, which is best illustrated in FIGURE 4. The tablewarecontainer 6b may appropriately be positioned at such distance from theadjacent bars 6c that it also serves as a support for the dishwareplaced on said bars 60. The tableware container 6b may of course alsoserve as a support for other dishware. The portions of the parallel bars6a remote from the edge 4a of the door are bent at right angles orapproximately 80 from the fiat surface of the door, and they extendalmost along the entire width of the door 4. Thus, they form a supportfor dishware placed on the device 6.

A rotable spraying device is mounted close to the center of the door 4and is provided with a number of spray arms 9 having one or more sprayapertures or nozzles. The lengths of the longest spray arms are chosenso, that their outer ends will move close to or adjacent thecircumference of the door. The spraying device 8 and the spray arms 9will be described more in detail in connection with FIGURES 5 and 6.From the center portion of the device 6 additional means for supportingdishware and having the form of a container for carrying dishware andhaving the form of a container for carrying large tableware such aslarge knives, forks, spoons etc. extend towards the lower edge 46 of thedoor. The device 6 and the additional means 10 may be appropriatelyunited or integral with respect to each other. The large tablewareshould appropriately be placed with their soiled portions close to thecenter of the door, i.e., adjacent the spraying device 8. The tablewarecontainer 6b is also placed close to said center, i.e., adjacent thespraying device 8, which is provided with a spray arm designed in aspecific manner and having a Spray aperture intended for spraying andcleansing the small tableware in longitudinal direction. Other sprayapertures on other spray arms or spray pipes are also intended tocooperate in effectively cleansing the portions of both the largetableware and the small tableware facing the center of the sprayingdevice 8.

FIGURE 5 shows an exploded view of a number of details of a proposedspray device provided with facilities for separately spraying theinterior of the dishwasher, but the details for said separate sprayinghave not been introduced into FIGURE 5 but only into FIGURE 6. Thespraying device 8 consists of a hollow cylindrical portion or housing81, from which straight spray pipes 9b, 9c and 9d extend at right anglesto a center line associated to the housing. The pipes 9b, 9c and 9d arefixed to the housing at a distance from one partly closed end of thehousing. Also, a short spray pipe 9a extends outside the housing 81 butin the axial direction of the hollow cylinder or housing, and this pipeis attached closer to the partly closed end of the housing than that ofthe pipes 9b, 9c and 9d. In addition to this short spray pipe 9a alonger spray pipe 9e is provided and also extends in the axial directionof the hollow cylinder or housing 81 and is attached at the samedistance from the partly closed end of the housing as the spray pipe 9a.The spray ipes 9b, 9c and 9d are provided with a plurality of sprayapertures, and these spray pipes are primarily intended for spraying andcleaning plates etc. placed in racks at right angles to the door 4 inthe casing 1 of the dishwasher. It may be appropriate to provide adifferent number of spray apertures for the individual spray pipes.Spray pipe 9a is provided with one single spray aperture of such designthat the water 911 passing through the spray aperture and directedlongitudinally of the small tableware 6b will have a large dispersionangle. Although this water jet 9a, which may have a form of a pyramid,primarily is intended for passing and cleansing the small tablewareplaced in the container 6b it will also clean the portions of thetableware placed in the container 10. The spray pipe 9e is provided witha number of spray apertures which direct water jets 92' substantially inthe radial direction of the housing. Spray pipe 9e with its sprayapertures is intended to give the spray jets another direction towardsthe small tableware positioned in container 6b and the tablewarepositioned in container 10 than the spray jets from the spay pipe 9a.The Water jets from the remainder of the spray pipes may have conicalshape.

It should be emphasized that it has proved appropriate to provide thespray arm or the spray pipes and 9d (see FIGURE 5) with a plurality ofapertures and the water jets will be directed at right angles to acenter axis associated to each pipe 9c and 9d. The spray arm or spraypipe 9b should be provided with fewer holes and should have its waterjets 9b directed approximately 45 from the center axis of pipe 9b anddirected from the center portion of the spraying device or the housing81. In this manner cleansing of the plates, etc., positioned in thecasing will be ensured. Spray pipe 92, too, is provided with aperturesof the type mentioned in connection with the description of pipe 9b.

The designation 82 refers to a dishwasher detergent container, thefunction of which will be described more in detail with reference toFIGURE 6. However, it may be mentioned that the dishwasher detergentcontainer 82 is provided with a removable cover 83, which in turn isprovided with a nipple 84 and a central inlet aperture 85. The container82 itself is provided with a number of small outlet apertures 82',preferably at its upper portion and on its envelope surface. Moreover,spacer means 82" are provided for centering the container 82 in theinside of the housing 81. Before washing the dishes the container -82 isfilled up to some extent with liquid and preferably foaming neutralnontoxicating detergents. When water now is supplied, as will bedescribed with reference to FIGURE 6, the dishwasher detergent willprogressively be diluted and will be consumed by the passage of themixture of water and detergent through the apertures 82'.

A valve device 101 surrounds the bottom part of the container 82 and maybe introduced into the housing 81. The valve 101 is provided with acircumferential recess 102 of specific type and to apertures 102a aswell as a diametrical cam 103 adapted to cooperate with a groove 92 in ashaft 91, see FIGURE 6, said shaft 9.1 is extending through the door 4.Valve 101 does not participate in the rotation of the spraying device,due to its interaction with the groove 92, but may be axially displaced,so that, with the valve 101 in one of its displacement positions, thepipe 9a will only be supplied with water during a definite portion ofits rotation. In another displacement position as illustrated in FIGURE6 and enabling separately spraying of the interior of the dishwasher,the valve 101 will close the water supply to the spray pipes 9b, 9c and9d. In the illustrated displacement position (the second displacementposition) of the valve and the shaft 91 an aperture 91a provided in theshaft cooperates with an aperture 93a in the side of a central portion93 afiixed to the door 4 by means of screws or the like. The centralportion 93 surrounds the shaft 91, which is hollow, and clamps thehousing 81 by means of a nut 93d. However, the housing 81 may rotatearound the central portion 93. With the shaft 91 in the illustratedposition fluid or water may pass through the valve 102a and through theapertures 93a, 910 that cooperate with each other and furthermorethrough the hollow shaft 91 and through the apertures 91b, 93b thatcooperate with each other. The aperture 93b is connected to a horizontalpipe 120, which is best illustrated in FIGURE 1. The water passesthrough the piper and is supplied to tubing and cooperating with thepipe 120 positioned within the dishwasher. Said tubing may appropriatelybe provided with spray apertures. An appropriate coupling will naturallyhave to be provided between the casing 1 of the dishwasher and pipe 120on the outside of the door 4. This will enable additional rinsing of thedishware in the dishwasher merely by depressing shaft 91. Spring means(not shown) reset the shaft to its normal position (indicated 'by adotted line) in which apertures 93a, 91a and 93b, 91b do not cooperatewith each other and water may be supplied to pipes 9b, 9c and 9d.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the manner in which a container 82 filled withdetergent is positioned within the hollow cylindrical portion 81 withvalve means 101 when the door 4 has assumed a nearly completely closedposition. With the door in completely closed position a gasket 81 willprovide a seal against the conical portion 20. The delivery of waterthrough the aperture 23 cooperating with tubing 1a will make the waterpass into and around the container 82. Part of the water mixes with thedetergent positioned in container 82 and will pass out through theoutlet aperture 82 and thereafter through the various spray pipes, forinstance pipes 9a and 9b. This will take place when valve 101 assumes aposition not shown in FIGURE 6. The water that thus has been used willrun down into the lower portion of casing 1 and through the outlettubing 1b.

The spraying device 8 or the hollow cylindrically shaped portion orhousing 81 may be rotated either by separate means attached to the dooror by means driving the conical portion 20.

FIGURE 7 illustrates an appropriate removable interconnection betweenthe door 4 and the casing 1. This enables removal of the door 4 whendesired. The lower portion of casing 1 is trough-shaped and is providewith two substantially vertical grooves 72 facing each other and eachbeing adapted to cooperate with individual pins 74 mounted at the lowerportion 40 of the door 4. When the door 4 is closed its lower portion 4clies within the casing 1. By means of an elastic gasket 73 fastened tothe casing 1 or the lower portion 4c of the door 4 a. desired seal withrespect to water leaks between the lower portion 4c of the door 4 andcasing 1 is achieved.

Under certain circumstances, it may be appropriate to seal the centralinlet aperture 85 in the detergent container 82 with a wax or similarthat will melt at a temperature of for instance 40 C., thereby enablinginitial prewashing of the dishware with cold water without detergent,before the cleansing with warm or hot water together with a detergent isinitiated.

Although the invention only has been described in certain detailedportions above, it is apparent that the disclosed embodiment only mustbe considered as an example and that a number of different changes inthe structural details of well as combinations may be made within thescope of the invention as defined in the claims. Thus the invention doesnot exclude the utilization of various conventional spraying devicespositioned within the circumference of the door 4. It has also provedpossible to utilize one or more spray devices which may be connectedalternately during the rotation.

The spray pipe 9a is disclosed as being provided with one single nozzle,and this may be of the International Spraying Systems Standard full-conetype or a pyramid type having a wide top angle, thereby providing a verygreat number of liquid particles that are insulated from each other andthat displace the air so that they strike the spoon bowls, etc., placedat the bottom of the table ware container 6b only at a distance ofapproximately an inch with unreduced speed. It will immediately be notedthat the tableware continually change during the dishwashing and thatcoverage of the entire soiled surface is ensured. A nozzle of this typerequires a great deal of fluid and would mean a waste of fluid (water)if the dishware (tableware) were not placed close to the center of theaxis of rotation, so that the greater portion of the fluid is utilizedfor the pertinent articles. This also refers to the larger knives etc.positioned in the device 10. With respect to the substantial consumptionof water it is appropriate to provide this nozzle with fluid (water)only during the portion of the rotation when the nozzle actually spraysthe tableware in container 6b and possibly in container 10. For thispurpose valve 101 is utilized.

The individual spraying as described above will become more effectivewhen spray pipes 9b, 9c and 9d are cut off from the water supply bymeans of valve 101. If the individual rinsing is to be carried outwithout tubing it is possible to arrange a pipe positioned parallel tothe axis of rotation of the spraying device so that it will pass througha special coupling between portions 20 and 81, wherein tubingcooperating with portion 20 may be utilized as separate rinsing means.

What I claim is:

1. A door for dishwashers of the type which in open position is pivotedoutwards and downwards towards the horizontal plane, comprising meansfor supporting the door in the casing of the dishwasher, means forsupporting dishware, preferably cups and glasses, mounted at one end ofsaid door, bracing means for the dishware cooperating with said meansfor supporting dishware and a rotatable spraying device close to thecenter of said door comprising at least one spray arm provided withspray apertures and having a longitudinal dimension such, that itsoutermost portion is rotatable adjacent the perimeter of said door.

2. A dishwasher door in accordance with claim 1, provided with bentflanges arranged around the perimeter.

3. A dishwasher door in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sprayingdevice is provided with a centrally located recess, in which a containerfor dishwasher deter-gent is positioned.

4. A dishwasher door in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sprayingdevice comprises a hollow cylinder provided with spray arms extendingradially and axially outwards and upwards respectively.

'5. A dishwasher door in accordance with claim 1, provided with acontainer for tableware positioned adjacent to an axis of rotationassociated with said spraying device.

6. A dishwasher door in accordance with claim 5, wherein said sprayingdevice comprises at least one spray arm provided with a spray aperturefor directing a jet of water in the longitudinal direction of saidtableware.

7. A dishwashed door in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sprayingdevice surrounds valve means, the axial actuation of which enables thepassage of water through individual tubing placed in the interior ofsaid dishwasher.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,823,583 9/1931 Biskamp 134179XR 2,045,890 6/1936 Uhalt et al 1342OO XR 2,184,204 12/1939 Walkerl34177 XR 2,852,030 9/1958 Nord l34l79 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,058,744 11/1953France.

ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 134177, 200

